Department for Transport

Vivarail

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had discussions with Vivarail on that company’s proposals for refurbishment of D78-Stock from the London Underground; if so when they took place; and whether they are giving encouragement or support to such proposals.

Baroness Kramer: On 13 January, Department for Transport officials met with Vivarail to discuss that company’s proposals for the refurbishment of D78-Stock. Vivarail is a private sector company that has developed these proposals at its own risk. The deployment of rolling stock is a matter for train operators.

Railways: Powers of Entry

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to facilitate any rail infrastructure manager to enter land adjacent to their railway under the terms of section 14 of Railway Regulation Act 1842.

Baroness Kramer: There are no outstanding applications which the Secretary of State is considering from any rail infrastructure manager to enter land adjacent to their railway under the terms of section 14 of the Railway Regulation Act 1842.

Network Rail

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the amount of waste material on Network Rail property that is unlikely to be used within the next three months, broken down into (1) rails and other metal work (to the nearest 100,000 tons), (2) concrete materials (to the nearest 10,000 tons), (3) cabling, (4) railway carriages which are not fit for use (to the nearest 100), (5) wooden materials (to the nearest 10,000 tons), and (6) other general waste.

Baroness Kramer: The Government has made no estimate of the amount of waste material on Network Rail property. Network Rail operates at arm’s-length from the Department for Transport, and is not expected to involve Ministers in its regular operational decisions such as its recycling of track materials and waste.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Liverpool

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to extend the proposed HS2 railway to Liverpool to alleviate the possible increase in traffic caused by the post-Panamax facilities at the Port of Liverpool.

Baroness Kramer: The Government is still considering plans for Phase Two of HS2, from Birmingham to the North, including proposals presented by Liverpool City Region. The Government will announce how it plans to take Phase Two forward later this year.

Railways: Students

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of rising train fares on university and college students.

Baroness Kramer: We recognise concerns many passengers have about impacts of rail fares on people’s budgets, which is why the cost of regulated rail fares will be capped at RPI+0% for 2015. Young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who are in full time study remain eligible for the 16-25 railcard, which enables the holder to receive 1/3 off of standard anytime, off-peak and Advance fares.

Railways: Students

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed with Southern Railway an extension of the Unizone area in which students benefit from reduced fares to the University of Brighton's Hastings campus.

Baroness Kramer: There have been no discussions with Southern Railway on an extension of the Unizone area.

Channel Tunnel

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the members of the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission and Safety Authority; and why their names are not published on the Commission’s website.

Baroness Kramer: The Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) will be updating its website and publishing the members of the IGC and the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority (CTSA). UK IGC members: Christopher Irwin (UK, Head of Delegation)Brian Kogan (Office of Rail Regulation)Caroline Wake (Office of Rail Regulation)Robin Groth (Department for Transport)John Fuller (Department for Transport)Paul Morgan (UK Border Force)Foreign and Commonwealth Office Representative (current vacancy) French IGC members: François Barry Delongchamps (Foreign Ministry)Eric Rebeyrotte (Transport Ministry)Michel Bellier (Transport Ministry)Gilles Sanson (Interior Ministry)Aurélie Bonal (Foreign Ministry)Noël de Saint-Pulgent (Finance Ministry)Pierre Mongin (Finance Ministry)  UK CTSA members (Office of Rail Regulation unless otherwise indicated) Caroline WakeAlan BellJohn GillespiePaul HooperSteve Demetriou (Kent Fire & Rescue Services) French CTSA members Eric Rebeyrotte (Transport Ministry)Samuel Bonnier (National Railway Safety Authority)Jean-Marc Clauzel (Interior Ministry)Denis Gaudin (Sous-Prefet of the Pas de Calais)Jean-Claude Martin (Transport Ministry)

Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 16 October (HL2006), now that the European Commission has concluded its procedures, when they expect to ratify the Luxembourg Rail Protocol.

Baroness Kramer: Now that the procedures around the European Union acceding to it have recently been concluded, the Government will now start the process of considering what it needs to do to ratify the Protocol.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the quality of justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina and of measures to address any shortcomings.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), with his German counterpart, visited Bosnia and Herzegovinia (BiH) last week in support of the EU Initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which aims to address many important issues including justice. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary emphasised the need to strengthen the rule of law and to tackle corruption; and that it was time to move past ethnic entrenchment. We now look forward to the BiH Presidency swiftly implementing pledges which we hope will be set out in its written commitment to the EU initiative that adheres to the principles, values, and goals on which the European Union operates.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they, the European Union, and others are taking to reduce the level of unemployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular for young people.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The recent EU Initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) stresses the need for socio-economic reform which aims to tackle, amongst other important issues, unemployment. During his visit to BiH last week with his German counterpart, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) reiterated Her Majesty’s Government support for the EU Initiative, and emphasised that it was time to stabilise and stimulate the economy and to create jobs – especially for the young. We welcome the BiH Presidency’s agreement to a written commitment to the EU Initiative, and look forward to their pledges being swiftly implemented.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they favour consulting the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a view to improving and simplifying the existing constitutional arrangements.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government fully respects the current constitutional structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was subscribed to by all constituent peoples. The current Constitution provides for the possibilities to amend it and the procedures are clearly set out, requiring consensus of all peoples in the country. This is the right and proper approach in any democratic country.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to suggest any improvements to the ways in which the European Union mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina has operated; and if so, what improvements.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In line with the European Union strategy adopted in March 2011, the European Union mission, under the EU Special Representative, to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is successfully carrying out its mandate. The objective of the EU Special Representative is to assist in the creation of a stable, viable, peaceful and multi-ethnic BiH, co-operating peacefully with its neighbours and irreversibly on track towards EU membership. We are content with the EU Special Representative’s role, which is crucial in supporting EU High Representative Mogherini’s mandate under the new EU Initiative, endorsed by the December 2014 Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The EU’s role will be pivotal in helping the political leaders, parliament and the people of BiH to deliver reforms, as set out in the EU Initiative.

Overseas Students: Scholarships

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 8 January (WS 69) in relation to their overseas scholarship schemes, whether they anticipate an overall increase or decrease in the number of scholarships following the outcome of the review.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The primary focus of the review is to establish whether there is scope for further efficiencies and synergies across the main Government funded scholarship schemes. We await the outcomes of the review due to be published in March 2015 and will assess the potential impact on the three schemes and scholarship numbers at that stage.In the Budget statement of March 2014, separate to this review, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced an increase in funding for the Chevening programme to triple the number of awards made to scholars from developing countries during the 2015-16 academic year. We anticipate, therefore, having a minimum of 1500 Chevening scholars coming to the UK from September 2015 onwards.

South Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report and recommendations of the All Party Group for Sudan and South Sudan, launched on 21 January, "Bridging the Gaps: Lessons from International Engagement with South Sudan 2011–2014".

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcome the All Party Group’s report on South Sudan as a valuable and thorough contribution on an important subject. Officials are studying the detailed recommendations. Our most immediate priority remains securing peace and the formation of an inclusive transitional government that is willing to address long-term issues, and – supported by the international community – to engage widely, deeply and consistently with the people of South Sudan.

Sudan and South Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of (1) violence in Sudan and South Sudan over the past three months, (2) reports of aerial bombardment of civilian populations, (3) the provision of arms, (4) the number of children recruited into militias, (5) the report by the United Nations Security Council of crimes committed against children, and (6) the number of unaccompanied and separated children identified by UNICEF since the conflict began.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since the end of the rainy season we have noted an increase in fighting in both Sudan and South Sudan. We are deeply concerned at aerial bombings in the Two Areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile) of Sudan, and have condemned the recent attack on a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres. Recent evidence of violations of the UN arms embargo in Darfur will inform our approach to upcoming discussions on the renewal of the mandate for the sanctions regime. EU arms embargoes continue to remain in place on both countries.Children continue to be seriously affected by the conflicts in both countries, and we are particularly concerned by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that since the outbreak of conflict in December 2013 almost 7,000 children have been separated from their families and 12,000 used by armed groups in South Sudan alone. South Sudan attended the UK-led roundtable on Children and Armed Conflict in New York in September 2014, and we agree with the Secretary General’s recommendation in his report of 11 December 2014 that the Government of South Sudan should develop and implement a strategy for the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration of children. As we highlighted in last year’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights Report, the Government of Sudan is also yet to fully implement their Child Act (enacted in 2010), which prohibits recruitment of children to armed groups in Darfur and the Two Areas.

Iraq

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report of the assassination of a number of professors from the University of Mosul because of their opposition to Daash.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of reports that the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has killed a number of professors from Mosul University. We are horrified by the atrocities that ISIL continues to commit and strongly condemn all abuses and human rights violations. We continue to encourage the new Iraqi government to ensure the protection of all citizens, promote human rights, reassert the rule of law and bring to justice those responsible for all violations and abuses. The UK is committed to a comprehensive, long-term strategy, as part of a global coalition, to degrade and defeat ISIL.

India

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of India about the reported killings in 2014 of Christians and reported assaults on priests, pastors and leaders of Christian communities in acts of religious hatred.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of reports of attacks on Christians and churches in India. These matters are being investigated by the Indian authorities.I also refer the noble Lord to my answer of 31 December 2014 (HL3827), which gives details of our discussions with the Indian authorities.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the reported recent practice of Israeli fighter jets performing mock air raids over Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government has not made any representations to the Israeli authorities over the issue of Israeli fighter jets performing mock air raids over Gaza. We, however, urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from actions that could increase tensions.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the reported practice of "double tap" bombing in Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government has not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this specific issue. During the recent Gaza conflict, however, the Government pressed the Israeli government to do everything it could to avoid civilian casualties, and to exercise restraint in line with humanitarian law.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they plan to offer to the United Nations Deputy Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, James Rawley, who has called on the government of Israel to end house demolitions immediately.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government has repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in the practice of demolishing Palestinian structures built without permits in Area C of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians face severe difficulty in securing building permissions for homes and infrastructure in East Jerusalem and Area C under the Israeli planning and permitting regime. We have also set out our deep concern regarding the reintroduction of punitive demolitions.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 22 January (HL4072), what are the consequences for the United Kingdom, as a signatory to the Geneva Convention, if Israel ignores its provisions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The consequence is that the United Kingdom is entitled to call upon Israel to comply in full with its obligations as a Party to the Fourth Geneva Convention. The UK has done so on many occasions. We have also called on all parties to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry that was established by the UN Human Rights Council, and attended the 17 December conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention along with EU partners.

Libya

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what incentives and sanctions they plan to offer to the internal parties and groups in Libya to persuade them to enter into dialogue with each other.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is deeply concerned by the increasing violence and political polarisation in Libya and its impact on the wider region. We strongly support the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, and the UN Support Mission in Libya, to resolve the political and security crisis and pave the way for peaceful political dialogue. The UK, together with members of the UN Security Council, welcomed the first round of dialogue talks hosted by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in Geneva on 14 and 15 January. We urged all those who were invited to attend a second round of talks in Geneva this week. These negotiations should be pursued with goodwill and adopting inclusive policies, with the aim of laying the foundations for a Government of National Unity. We are prepared to take action against parties who continue to use violence to pursue political goals through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2174.

Libya

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with external states with a view to limiting interventions in Libya and favouring comprehensive internal negotiation, in line with the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2174.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has regular discussions with regional and international partners on Libya, emphasising the importance of supporting the UN-led efforts to agree a ceasefire and build an inclusive political agreement for the future of Libya. A ceasefire is urgently needed, and we will continue to call on all parties to stop fighting and agree to one. We are ready to use United Nations Security Council Resolution 2174 to apply sanctions against those who stand in the way of peaceful dialogue and who continue to resort to violence.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards

Baroness Falkner of Margravine: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the operation of the New York Convention.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The New York Convention allows parties who have chosen to resolve their disputes through international arbitration a route to achieving recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award in the courts of other signatory states. This has helped the development of international commerce by allowing for a broadly effective dispute resolution mechanism with awards that can be enforced widely, even where it would be impossible to enforce a foreign court judgement. While particular jurisdictions have invoked exceptions if they do not recognise or do not wish to honour an award, on the whole the operation of the New York Convention has been effective in ensuring the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards.

Arab States

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage tariff reductions, labour mobility, mutual recognition of university degrees, trade integration and increased exports, throughout the Arab world.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The UK is taking steps both bilaterally and in the European Union to support stronger economic ties with Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries.   The Gulf Cooperation Council suspended negotiations with the EU in 2008. However, the UK is working closely with European partners to build on existing Association Agreements (AA) in the region through the Union for the Mediterranean which brings together the EU and 15 countries of the MENA and Southern Mediterranean region. This work is an opportunity to reduce tariffs and further open up these markets for British businesses. The UK has also supported the opening of trade talks with Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt. Of these, the most advanced trade talks are with Morocco; very recently an agreement was concluded to protect Geographical Indications (GIs).   UK Trade and Investment also has offices throughout the region working with business to increase UK exports, including a Middle East and North Africa marketing hub in Dubai. The Gulf region is also one of the priorities in the Government’s strategy for international education. In this regard the Government has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Higher Education and Research with Kuwait (June 2014), and one on Mutual Recognition of Qualifications with the UAE (May 2013).

Department for International Development

Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the reported death of a four month old infant from exposure in Gaza, what action they are taking to ensure that reconstruction is allowed to take place in Gaza.

Baroness Northover: We are supporting the temporary Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism to facilitate the import of construction materials into Gaza. Almost 35,000 people have now been able to buy materials to repair their homes. There is still more to do, but this mechanism is a step in the right direction. However, a more comprehensive lifting of restrictions as part of a political agreement is the only long-term solution.

Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have been held with their allies concerning the evacuation of young children, babies and mothers from Gaza until adequate shelter, medicine and food is provided.

Baroness Northover: The UK is not aware of any such discussions. DFID provided more than £17 million in emergency assistance last summer and pledged a further £20 million for early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference. We remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation, and UK aid is helping to provide shelter, medical care and food vouchers to those in need.

Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the likely mortality rate in Gaza over the winter months from lack of shelter, food, medicine and electricity; and whether they have any plans for a minister to make a visit there to assess the level of humanitarian suffering.

Baroness Northover: We remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UN makes regular assessments of the situation in Gaza. In their latest bulletin, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs note that the situation remains extremely fragile, marked by slow progress in the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure destroyed during the summer hostilities, and compounded by the ongoing energy crisis and growing internal political tensions. The UN Relief and Works Agency has reported two deaths in January due to the cold and inadequate shelter. UK Ministers make regular visits to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Turkey

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they and international organisations have made to the government of Turkey about access for medical and relief supplies from Turkey to northern Syria, which has been prevented since 2012; and what replies, if any, they have received.

Baroness Northover: We are in regular contact with the Government of Turkey on the need for effective aid deliveries into Syria. Access for medical and relief supplies from Turkey to northern Syria has been ongoing through cross-border operations carried out by International NGOs, and has increased since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2165/2191 authorising the UN to deliver aid across borders without regime consent. Following the adoption of Resolution 2165, according to the UN over 410,000 people have been reached with medical assistance, including more than 347,000 people from Turkey.

Developing Countries: Children

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that children in the developing world are neither marginalised nor denied their right to education.

Baroness Northover: The UK is committed to helping ensure that all children, irrespective of their circumstance, are able to complete a full cycle of good quality education. The UK is pushing for a strong post 2015 framework that will further incentivise action to support the poorest and most marginalised communities.

Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders: Speech and Language Disorders

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' assessment that over 60 per cent of young people in the youth justice estate have speech and language problems, what plans they have to provide time for such needs to be addressed in addition to the 30 hours per week for education in the forthcoming contract for young offender institutions and (from 2017) the new secure colleges, as stated by Lord Faulks in his Written Answers of 3 December 2014 (HL2982 and HL2983).

Lord Faulks: Young offenders’ time in custody should be an opportunity to turn their lives around and prevent them reoffending. Education contracts have now been awarded in public sector young offender institutions (YOIs) for young people under 18. They will more than double the current average number of hours of education provided for young people in YOIs each week, and focus on providing a quality of education equivalent to mainstream schools and colleges that meets the individual needs of young people including those with special educational needs. From April 2015, local authorities will be under a duty to arrange the special education provision set out in a young person’s Education Health and Care (EHC) plan, including speech and language therapy, while a young person is detained in custody. Those in charge of secure establishments and health service commissioners will work with the local authority in fulfilling their duty to arrange appropriate provision. A request for an EHC plan assessment can also be made while the young person is detained and the assessment can begin in custody. Alongside the improved education contracts, a new core day will be implemented in YOIs over the coming months. This will support the increased education hours and schedule other daily activities around learning as happens for young people in the community so that the full range of their needs can be addressed. Secure Colleges will for the first time offer a fully integrated, multi-agency approach to tackling the offending of young people. The regime will be integrated with health, substance misuse and wider services. The operator procurement will focus on ensuring that the provider has the skills and experience to achieve improved outcomes by delivering this holistic regime to meet the individual needs of each young person accommodated there. The first Secure College has been carefully designed with flexibility in mind to support an integrated regime which effectively addresses individual needs, and the principal health and education centres are located in a single building to facilitate ease of access and reduce interruptions. We will finalise expectations on Secure Colleges in respect of children and young people with special educational needs following further engagement with educationalists and prospective providers.

Department for Work and Pensions

Japan Tobacco: Ballymena

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support an application to the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund in respect of job losses in Northern Ireland following the decision of Japanese Tobacco International to close its manufacturing plant in Ballymena.

Lord Freud: The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) Regulations set out strict criteria and eligibility for potential applicants. It is questionable whether the redundancy situation in this case meets EGF eligibility. The Department of Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, through its Redundancy Service, offers tailor-made and wide ranging packages of support measures such as those that would be funded through EGF. The UK Government wishes to see real budgetary restraint in the EU in order to avoid unaffordable high costs to the UK. Any successful EGF application would count as a receipt to the UK and would therefore lead to a reduction in the abatement. Pursuing domestic schemes, such as the Northern Ireland Redundancy Service, would therefore represent better value for money. Nevertheless, if any bid that were to come forward to my Department, met the criteria and represented value for money, it would receive full consideration.

Home Office

Prostitution

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 December 2014 (HL3283), whether they will now state what consideration they have given to introducing or amending legislation to criminalise the purchase of sex in order to protect vulnerable women.

Lord Bates: With regard to prostitution, the Government focus is on harm minimisation and I refer to my answer of 17 December 2014 to question HL3283 on this matter.

Parliament: Data Protection

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure that any attempt by the United States authorities to access United Kingdom parliamentary data held on Microsoft servers in the Republic of Ireland will be made on a mutual legal assistance basis.

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure that any attempt by United States authorities to access United Kingdom parliamentary data held on Microsoft servers in the Netherlands will be made on a mutual legal assistance basis.

Lord Bates: Storage of Parliamentary data is a matter for the House authorities. The application of the US's bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) with the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland in regard to data held on Microsoft servers is a matter for those countries.

Licensing Laws

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to repeal the law that permits 24-hour drinking in England.

Lord Bates: The Government has no plans to amend the current system under the Licensing Act 2003 which allows licensing authorities to grant premises licences and make a decision on what opening hours are appropriate on a case by case basis based on the impact on the four licensing objectives. These are: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. However, this Government has introduced wider powers under the early morning alcohol restriction order (EMRO) which enable licensing authorities to restrict the sale of alcohol in the early hours in support of the licensing objectives.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the potential impact of minimum unit pricing of 50 pence per unit of alcohol on the cost of living indices.

Lord Bates: The government consulted on a proposed minimum unit price of 45p and published an impact assessment which included an estimate of the cost to different levels of drinkers. The impact assessment did not include as assessment at any other level.

Freedom of Expression

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria must be applied when classifying acts as hate speech or incitement to hatred and violence; and whether they have any plans to redefine those criteria following the recent attacks on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.

Lord Bates: Part 3 and Part 3A of the Public Order Act 1986 (as amended by the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 and Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008) cover a range of offences relating to inciting hatred on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation.For offences under both parts of this legislation, the criminal threshold has to be met in order for a person to be found guilty. For racial hatred the threshold test is that the words or behaviour used have to be ‘threatening’, ‘abusive’ or ‘insulting’ and intend to stir up racial hatred or having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred is likely to be stirred up. For hatred on the grounds of religion and sexual orientation, the threshold test is different; the words or behaviour have to be ‘threatening’ and the person must intend thereby to stir up hatred on the grounds of religion or sexual orientation. This part of the Act also sets out a provision for the protection of freedom of expression.The government has no current plans to make amendments to this legislation.

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what benefits they consider that the repeal of section 148 of the Licensing Act 2003 will have for children under 16.

Lord Bates: The proposal to repeal the offence of selling liqueur confectionery to those under the age of 16 was developed following the Government’s consultation on the Red Tape Challenge. The measure aims to simplify legislation related to age-restricted sales and to reduce the regulatory burdens on retailers. The Government's impact assessment did not expect that under 16s would buy significantly more liqueur confectionery as a result of the measure and the Government believes that most of the liqueur confectionery which they may buy would replace other gift purchases of confectionery.

CCTV

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they plan to take to maximise the efficiency of closed-circuit television and to ensure public safety.

Lord Bates: The Government has issued a surveillance camera code of practice under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. This sets out 12 guiding principles to be considered by any organisation using overt CCTV in public places in England and Wales. Those guiding principles include encouraging CCTV system operators to: work to relevant operational, technical and occupational standards; to use their systems in the most effective way to support public safety and law enforcement with the aim of processing images and information of evidential value, and; to review the use of such a CCTV system on a regular basis. To encourage compliance with the code of practice, we have appointed the Surveillance Camera Commissioner who has published a self assessment tool for CCTV operators and is finalising advice on a suite of standards which can be followed as good practice.

HM Treasury

VAT

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the increase in VAT has yielded in each year since 2011.

Lord Deighton: In the Budget of June 2010 it was forecast that the VAT rate increase would raise £3bn in 2010-11, £12bn in 2011-12, and a further £13bn each year from 2012-13 to 2014-15. No current estimate has been made of how much the increase has yielded in each year since 2011.

Orchestras: Tax Allowances

Lord Maclennan of Rogart: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the tax breaks to orchestras will be implemented; and what value they estimate the tax breaks will represent to orchestras.

Lord Deighton: At Autumn Statement 2014, the government announced it would introduce a new tax relief for orchestras from April 2016. The government launched a consultation on 23 January 2015 to help inform the design of the relief. The value of the relief will depend on the final design and more detail will be set out later this year.

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Stevens of Ludgate: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom has to pay an additional £1.7 billion contribution to the European Union Budget; and whether any such payment has been reduced or offset.

Lord Deighton: Last year, the UK was presented with a bill for an additional payment to the EU worth £1.7 billion, reflecting changes to economic data for all Member States and dating as far back as 2002 for the UK. The Prime Minister was clear that this sudden production of a bill to Britain for payment on the 1 December was completely unacceptable.   EU Ministers met on the 7 November, and the Chancellor secured an agreement which meant the UK paid nothing on 1 December. Instead the payment will be made in instalments next year, and no fines or interest will be applied. The UK will also not pay £1.7 billion. The British rebate will apply in full, and apply simultaneously with the payment, not a year in arrears as normal. This means the Government has halved the bill, to around £850 million.   Lastly, the UK won agreement to change the regulations to ensure this never happens again. In the future, if any country received an adjustment demand that is excessive, it will have the same opportunity to phase payments so that they are more affordable.  The Government will continue to press for necessary restraint and discipline in all areas of the EU Budget in order to get the best deal for British taxpayers.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Sports: Females

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what additional steps they are taking to encourage women to participate in sport and exercise following the launch of the "This Girl Can" campaign by Sport England.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Through our £1 billion youth and community sport strategy we are developing innovative solutions to engage girls and young women in sport and develop a sporting habit for life. For example, we have invested over £2 million in Bury for an initiative called ‘I Will if You Will’ which is about listening and giving women what they want. This programme has now been extended. The 'This Girl Can' campaign has received an incredibly positive response, and has received close to 5 million views on youtube. We are encouraging NGBs, sports bodies, schools and community groups to register on the website (www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/register) and use the supporting materials provided to help with their own outreach to engage more women in sport and exercise.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department is responsible for regulating clinical trials that involve gametes or embryos; and how many clinical trials they have authorised to date.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is responsible for licensing research involving the use of human embryos but has no role in authorising those clinical trials governed by the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 (2004 Regulations).   The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for the regulation of clinical trials of medicinal products carried out under the 2004 Regulations, which implements the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC. The Regulations do not cover treatment services.   The Regulations define a clinical trial as:   “clinical trial” means any investigation in human subjects, other than a non-interventional trial, intended— (a) to discover or verify the clinical, pharmacological or other pharmacodynamic effects of one or more medicinal products, (b) to identify any adverse reactions to one or more such products, or (c) to study absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of one or more such products, with the object of ascertaining the safety or efficacy of those products;”.   Gametes and embryos are not used in medicinal products so any research involving gametes and embryos is outside the scope of the 2004 Regulations and the Directive. Consequently, there have been no “clinical trials”, as defined by the 2004 Regulations, involving gametes and embryos.

Health Services: Lancashire

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration is being given to the reorganisation of specialist healthcare services in Lancashire and which services are being considered for relocation; and whether consideration is being given to the removal of the neonatal intensive care unit from Burnley General Hospital.

Earl Howe: NHS England is responsible for the commissioning and delivery of prescribed specialised services.   We are advised that NHS England, along with the clinical commissioning groups in the area, is currently reviewing specialist services to ensure they meet national specification standards. This work is on-going and no decisions have been taken.

Gastrointestinal Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the drug regorafenib will no longer be available for the third line of treatment for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours as a result of the review of treatments under the Cancer Drug Fund.

Earl Howe: The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) panel considered the use of regorafenib after two previous tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-resectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumours to offer sufficient clinical benefit to potentially remain included in the CDF.   However the CDF panel noted that although the patient numbers treated with regorafenib for gastrointestinal stromal tumours were small (less than 100 per year), regorafenib had a European approved indication in the treatment of bowel cancer, a much more common cancer. The panel therefore noted that regorafenib had a potential funding stream from its licensed use in bowel cancer and thus did not fulfil the condition for use of the scoring system for very rare indications.

Gastrointestinal Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what alternatives will be available for the third line of treatment for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours as a result of the review of treatments under the Cancer Drug Fund.

Earl Howe: Regorafenib for the treatment of previously treated gastrointestinal stromal tumours is due to be removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) Drugs list for new patients on 12 March 2015. The rationale for the CDF panel’s decision has been published, and overall the panel’s conclusion was that this drug offered insufficient value for retention within the CDF. Approximately 74 patients a year would access this drug in this indication and it is recognised that many of these patients may not have any further active anti-cancer drug treatment options and therefore will be offered best supportive care through their multi-disciplinary cancer team.

Gastrointestinal Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence there is that regorafenib is not effective for the third line of treatment for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

Earl Howe: The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) panel considered the use of regorafenib after two previous tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-resectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumours to offer sufficient clinical benefit to potentially remain included in the CDF.   However the CDF panel noted that although the patient numbers treated with regorafenib for gastrointestinal stromal tumours were small (less than 100 per year), regorafenib had a European approved indication in the treatment of bowel cancer, a much more common cancer. The panel therefore noted that regorafenib had a potential funding stream from its licensed use in bowel cancer and thus did not fulfil the condition for use of the scoring system for very rare indications.

Gastrointestinal Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Cancer Drug Fund has withdrawn regorafenib as the third line of treatment for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours in cases where it is the only treatment available for some patients with the disease who have not responded to other drugs; and how this is consistent with the statement by the Cancer Drug Fund that a drug will not be withdrawn if it represents the only treatment available for a certain condition.

Earl Howe: Regorafinib has been available in the Cancer Drugs Fund for patients with non-resectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) who had progressed on other available anti-cancer therapies. Therefore this does not meet the criteria for being the only available treatment for this condition (metastatic or non-resectable GISTs).

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why some drugs which have not been appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were made available through the Cancer Drugs Fund when that Fund was set up to provide access to drugs deemed not to be cost-effective by NICE; and what drugs are now being withdrawn without having been subject to a cost-effectiveness evaluation by NICE.

Earl Howe: We have always been clear that the Cancer Drugs Fund should be used to fund drug/indication combinations:   - appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and not recommended on the basis of cost effectiveness, or where the recommendations materially restrict access to a smaller group of patients than the specifications set out in the marketing authorisation (an ‘optimised’ recommendation); and - on which NICE has not, or not yet, issued appraisal guidance.   NHS England has informed us that there are 10 drug and indication combinations due to be removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund on 12 March 2015 on which NICE has not published technology appraisal guidance. These are:   - bendamustine for the treatment of rituximab refractory low grade lymphoma; - bortezomib for the treatment of relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma; - bortezomib for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma; - bortezomib for the treatment of relapsed Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinaemia; - everolimus for the treatment of well differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinomas; - lapatinib for the treatment of advanced breast cancer; - pazopanib for the treatment of advanced non-adipocytic soft tissue sarcoma; - pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for the treatment of angiosarcoma; - pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for the treatment of sarcoma of the heart and great vessels; and - regorafenib for the treatment of adult patients with advanced gastro-intestinal stromal tumours after failure of at least previous imatinib and sunitinib.

Gastrointestinal Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why gastrointestinal stromal tumours do not qualify for the Cancer Drugs Fund cost banding for rare indications given that the Cancer Drugs Fund panel recognised that regorafenib offers clinical benefit to rare gastrointestinal stromal tumour cancer patients both in the current and the previous review when it was added to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Earl Howe: In making its decision on regorafenib (Stivarga) for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours, NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) clinical panel found that the CDF cost banding system for rare indications did not apply as regorafenib had a European approved indication in the treatment of bowel cancer, a much more common cancer. The CDF panel therefore noted that regorafenib had a potential funding stream from its licensed use in bowel cancer and thus did not fulfil the condition for use of the scoring system for very rare indications which had been put in place to recognise drugs developed for very rare indications.